Scales
by Gabby374
Summary: Before the Avengers Initiative, life was good for Clint Barton. Well, as good as it could be with his secret involvement with S.H.I.E.L.D while having a seven-year-old daughter and wife at a hideout. Now, he and his daughter, Lyanna, must fight along others to save the earth. Between gods, self aware androids and a certain arrogant Sokovian, life is never dull. (Pietro x OC).
1. Prologue

**2001:**

Long before the Avengers initiative, life was good for the Bartons, or well as good as it could be if you take into consideration Clint's secret involvement with the S.H.I.E.L.D while having a wife and a seven-year-old at the age of 32. Not that Clint complained, with the childhood he had, he would have never imagined having a family of his own, let alone be a good husband and father. But here he was, reading a newspaper on a sunny morning with a mug of coffee brewing beside him while Laura busied herself with flipping pancakes on the pan for breakfast and his daughter was presumingly asleep in her room.

Glancing at his wife, a soft smile spread across his face as he creeped out of his chair and wrapped his arms around her from behind. She was still messy haired and in her nightgown with sleep evident in her face, yet to him, she looked beautiful as ever and he leaned down to plant a soft kiss on her shoulder, earning a small chuckle out of her.

"Do you want something?" Laura teased lightly as she added another scoop of the batter into the pan, making it sizzle back to life.

"Can I not hug you without wanting something?" Clint replied with innocence in his voice as he gave her a small squeeze and reached with his hand to steal one of the cooked pancakes from the plate that was beside Laura. Ignoring the swat on his hand from Laura he quickly shoved the pancake into his mouth.

"The day you don't want something I will truly be surprised. Now go wake up the monkey before she wreaks chaos upstairs." She smiled shooing him away to finish off breakfast which earned her another kiss and a moment of quiet.

Clint walked up the stairs, his feet hitting the wooden steps softly, causing very llittle noise and turned to the left, walking to the door closest to him. Turning the doorknob, the doors squeaked as he pushed them further in but the room itself was relatively quiet. Well quiet if you ignored the obviously excited breathing of a child. With a smirk on his face, Clint stepped into a room and grunted with more emphasis than needed when smaller arms wrapped around his neck tightly and extra weight jumped on his back. A giggle reached his ears as well as a loud "gotcha".

"Jesus kid, I'm almost too old for this," Clint groaned on as he grabbed the dangling legs and hoisted Lyanna up to his neck, holding her into place while her hands nestled into his hair.

"You're not old daddy, just slow," Lyanna replied holding onto him tightly as he walked further into her bright red room that was almost turned upside down, even though they spent an hour yesterday cleaning it. It still baffled him how she could create such a mess in such little time; the contents of her wardrobe were in a big pile on the floor while her legos and some dolls along with various crayons littered the floor. The only tidy place in the room seemed to be the portion of the desk that she had used a platform for herself to jump on him.

"Come on kid, let's fix this mess up before Mommy sees it. And don't let her catch you jumping from places or she'll have my neck."Clint had shown her how to clean her room quickly and efficiently. Well, his way was to hide everything out of plain sight and hope Laura doesn't notice for a while.

Clint made up her bed and put her clothes back into wardrobe while Lyanna shoved everything she could grab into the wooden chest that her Clint had made and within a few minutes the room had returned to a normal stage. Both of them grinned and loudly clapped their hands in high-five before Clint gently pushed her out of the room so they could get breakfast.

"What took you so long?" Laura asked putting the pancakes onto the plates as they emerged into a kitchen.

"Oh nothing honey, just had a chat." Clint winked at Lyanna and sat down at the table with his family.

* * *

Lyanna was outside, playing with one of her remote-controlled range rover replica cars. Clint might have 'borrowed' few of them from S.H.I.E.L.D. labs that specialised in tactics and practise runs. The car itself might have added higher tech details in it, one of them being much higher acceleration than normal toys, not that Lyanna knew or cared. She was running right after it, trying to see how fast and how far it can go when she heard a hissing from her side in the field further away from her house. Stilling for a moment, she looked around but nothing looked unusual but she didn't shrug it off and continue on, Clint had thought her to always ask for help if she heard or saw something. It was his version of don't talk to strangers or give them your address.

Lyanna reached out to grab her car when she heard the hissing again and a quiet rustle of grass. Her gaze was met with a pair of brown unblinking eyes and a darting forked tongue. Her eyes widened and she froze in her steps, almost hoping that the snake didn't see her. The snake was a smaller size and covered in darker brown colour with a greenish tint. It was her first time seeing a snake so close and she was fascinated for a few moments before her instincts kicked in. The snake stayed still for a moment as if observing her before rising itself up and hissing again.

"Good snakey?" Lyanna whispered. It came out more as a question but it was soon answered. One moment the snake was half standing. The next it lunged, her teeth beared out. And lunged again. And again. Lyanna fell from the first strike to her leg and gasped as two more pierced her skin. For a fraction of millisecond nothing happened. Then Lyanna shrieked as hot, white pain erupted in her system and her vision gave out. Her body started to shake but she couldn't control it and her consciousness slipped. Half delirious she tried to shout for help but that came out was excruciated scream.

Clint grabbed his bow the moment he heard her and shot two arrows straight into the snake's head from the porch before throwing it to the side and sprinting over the steps and ground, dashing across his yard in record speed. Crashing hard on his knees and skidding just a little, it only took a fraction of a second to asses the situation as his hands desperately grabbed Lyanna. She let out another shriek and tried to curl into herself, the sound breaking his heart and fear setting in his bones like he felt never before.

"You're okay sweetie, you're gonna be fine," Clint muttered helplessly as he struggled to pull out the belt from his jeans and wrap it around Lyanna's arm, trying to put as much pressure as he could. He swore, seeing her blood staining her leg and with shaky hands ripped his flannel into half, not having anything else to work with "Just fine, I'm right here, we'll patch you up and you will be just fine. Come on Lyanna," He tried to reassure himself more than her. But she stopped moving, stopped screaming and he wasn't sure if she passed out or worse. He didn't dare to reach to her neck to feel a pulse. He wouldn't be able to handle if he felt nothing. So he didn't as long as he didn't he could pretend she was alive. Just for a bit. All he knew was to put pressure and get some help before he lost her. Then everything would be fine. It had to.

"Oh my god!" Clint's head jerked up, not even noticing when Laura came to their aid or from where. She kneeled beside them and stared at her child for a moment, trying to process what she was seeing. She shakily reached out her hand trying to find a pulse in her girl while Clint clapped against his pockets in search of his phone. If he could find it then he could call for help and then everything would be fine. But the phone wasn't on him and he swore.

"Laura, it's fine, listen it's gonna be fine. I swear it will be," Clint nearly begged her as his hands left Lyanna and grabbed Laura's face, forcing her attention to himself instead of the bloody scene. "But I need you to get my phone, it's in the kitchen by the sink or lying somewhere. I need you to call Fury, call Natasha, call fucking anyone in the damn phone and get help. I'll take care of her but we need to get help. Please. Can you do that?"

Laura nodded shakily and glanced at Lyanna for a second before raising up and running back into the house. Clint watched her leave before returning his gaze to Lyanna's pale face and swallowed hard. He couldn't lose it, not now. His mission wasn't done yet.

"Please baby, you can't leave us now." His breath hitched as he stroked her face gently. "Daddy is right here."

* * *

The figure stood behind one of the trees surrounding the farm and observed the scene from the morning to when S.H.I.E.L.D aircraft landed nearby and rushed the girl inside with the parents and took flight. Once the place cleared he tapped the earpiece, making it flash blue for a second and walked up to where the snake was lying with two arrows in its head. Pulling the arrows out, he wiped the black liquid off them in his pants and held them in his hand while he slung the dead snake around his neck before leaving the scene.

" _Mission complete._

* * *

Clint took in a sharp breath as his fingers involuntarily curled into a tight fist. He and Laura were sitting in the waiting room in one of the medical facilities. Everything was a blur, he could vaguely identify the stench of steriliser but his senses were dull, muted. His ears rung uncomfortably and his eyes couldn't focus. _He_ couldn't focus.

Some part of Clint's brain was aware that he was in shock, he was aware that his wife was beside him, or should be somewhere nearby, he knew that he should comfort her. He knew that she was in the same amount of pain as him but he couldn't. Not when he could still see Lyanna's seizing body, not when he could hear her shrieks of pain. His mind swarm, torn between beating himself up and the dread of what could happen. The lack of knowledge of the situation was killing him. In his line of work, knowledge was everything, but this wasn't some meaningless job that Fury assigned to him. This was family, his little girl. The same kid that kept trying to jump on him, the same kid he ate breakfast with and tucked into bed when he could be with his family at home. The same baby he held in his shaky arms seven years ago. The same little girl that was spasming on the floor, choking on blood. _His_ kid. His kid that could be dying, could already be dead. Oh god.

Clint shot up to his feet, he couldn't stand and do nothing. Not again. He had to do something, demand answers. Demand anything because right now he was furthest away from being in control and it was killing him from inside. A hand grasped his fist tightly, freezing him in place and that's all it took for his will to crumble. His wife's hand didn't let go of him but wrapped around his neck instead, grounding him in reality. The reality where a fucking snake of all the things could be taking his baby's life. He clung to her tightly and buried his head in her shoulder, his eyes burning with moisture. No words were exchanged, there could be none.

The room was dead quiet. The machines were turned off, there was no use in turning them on anymore. The unmoving body was laid in the middle of the bed. Lifeless. There were no doctors present. They already did their job but they failed. For all intents and purposes, Lyanna Angela Barton deceased due to Coagulopathy at 4.37pm August 22nd 2003 at the age of 7. The room was empty. Her corpse was left alone in the room while the news was delivered to her parents.

All of a sudden, a quiet hissing escaped through her parted blue lips into the room. Lyanna's finger twitched for a second as her skin paled to a dusty grey colour and started to crack. Thick red blood filled in between those cracks before it spilt over, leaving streaky trails and soon enough dripping sound could be heard as it hit the floor. The body twitched and shook as the coppery scales scarcely emerged from the cracked skin, stopping the blood flow and travelled up to her neck, covering parts of her face. There was a huge intake of breath. Then a moment of complete silence. The doors squeaked open. Milky, slitted blue eyes snapped open and moved towards the sound. The hissing grew louder.

"S-Sir we have a situation. Code Red. I repeat Code Red. Do you copy?!"

* * *

 _Viper was born at 4.37pm August 22nd 2003 in S.H.I.E.L.D Medical centre. She will return._

 **Hope you enjoyed! It will be set in Avenger's timeline and will follow the events that happen just thought I'd give a small introduction. The story will be Lyanna centric with Clint and Pietro in the centre along with the rest of the Avengers.**

 **But yeah leave some feedback if you like!**

 **Also as a side note, English isn't my first language and I hope at some point I'll get an someone to help me with certain grammar but until then please bear with me.**

 **x**


	2. Chapter 1

_The Tesseract has awakened. It is on a little world. A human world. They would wield its power. But our ally knows its workings as they never will. He is ready to lead. And our force, our Chitauri, will follow. The world will be his. The universe yours. And the humans, what can they do but burn?_

The room was bare. There were only two red, worn leather couches at the end of the room with a clear glass table and tv propped on a stand behind it. The room had an unlit fireplace and cold radiators, leaving the room damp and cold enough to wear jackets. The table was littered with empty naggins of vodka and various bottles, cans of coke, bits of tobacco thrown around carelessly and the ends of cigarette butts. The speaker under the table was turned down so only the beats of the music reached the ears as people laid down on the couches. The place itself was bleak and the smell wasn't much better. Lyanna was lying down on one of the couches as people came and went, she barely recognised any of them. She was tired as hell, the alcohol in her blood already numbing her senses, giving somewhat of a dull comfort even though she was freezing. There was a great party that night, she could recall that much and at some point, the club had closed down and one of her friend's friend had invited them to an after-party and the rest was a blur.

Lyanna's phone flashed up bright and vibrated somewhere on the couch, raising her out of her tired state. Slapping her hands around herself she couldn't find it and she raised her head from a guy's lap looking around for it.

"Hey, sorry, can you move?" She asked the person, Justin, touching the sides of the couch before she finally dug it out from under the gap by the armrest. It took her a moment to make out the name of Phil Coulson shining on her screen.

"Uncle Phill!" Lyanna giggled into the phone as she laid back down on the couch and pressed the phone between her ear and her shoulder as she reached to pull down her dress that had ridden up. Even on the phone, it felt weird not to cover up as much as she could.

"Get ready, we have a mission."His familiar voice came through the phone. Phil sounded professional as always and she was glad to hear it. Other than his regular messages of updates on her, she hadn't heard his voice for a while now.

"What? What mission?" She asked straightening up a bit. It sounded odd, she hasn't been on a mission in a while and it came out of nowhere. Some eyes fell on her but she ignored them.

"I'll explain later," There was a moment of silence on his end, "Also where the hell are you? I'll be in ten minutes, be outside." Before she could get a word out he ended the call, making her heart drop.

"Shit, shit, shit!" Lyanna jumped out as quickly as she could, grabbing her purse and her keys in a rush.

"What's up?" Justin asked, looking up from his phone once he heard her as he noticed her panicked face. She just shook her head and went to the door.

"Nothing.. gotta go. I'll call you later." She called back and sprinted across the hall and down the stairs. This was not good. Not good at all. Phil was going to kill her for sure. She tried to comb through her hair as much as she could but it was futile, there wasn't much that could change the dishevelled, drunk teenage look she wore and she knew it. She hoped at least the air would clear up the stench of alcohol and smoke off her.

Eight minutes later, a black BMW stopped by the pavement beside Lyanna and remained in neutral until she reluctantly got in the front seat. Coulson was driving by himself and she could feel his eyes on her the moment the car came into view. Suddenly the dashboard of the car seemed more interesting than ever before.

"What the actual hell are you wear- is that marijuana I smell on you?" Phil didn't take a moment to question her, his voice dropping as the smell filled the car. He was already suspicious of her location, one that she hadn't been to before, and the look of her along with time didn't look too promising. Lyanna had frozen in her seat and gulped nervously, she didn't dare to look at him or even in his direction. The car moved off and went into the traffic, leaving the place behind.

"Phil, it's not what it looks like I swear!" She opened her mouth, her voice faltering. She had no excuse and being tipsy didn't help her either. The smell of the car's leather and heater felt soothing and she was starting to feel much warmer and sleepier than before.

"Not what it looks like? Have you seen yourself? What the hell have you been thinking Lyanna? You're underage for Christ sake!" Phill seemed mad. Scratch that, he was fuming. It was the first time Lyanna had seen him so mad and out of his usual calm composure.

"Please don't tell dad! It was just a stupid party, I- I didn't even smoke anything I swear. Well, just a few cigarettes nothing else." She near all but pleaded, dread and guilt mixing together, making her eyes glitter with moisture.

"Your father will find out eventually and he'll have all our heads. Hell, your mother alone will kill me. So you will tell him later on yourself like the big girl you apparently are." Phil sighed, he could already see Clint's reaction to this mess. Well once they will recover him. He refused to believe that Loki's actions couldn't be undone. S.H.I.E.L.D couldn't afford to lose a man like Barton.

The car became silent for a while, only the quiet hum of the engine filled the car and Phil took his eyes off the road for a moment to look at the miserable child beside him. _Child._ That's all she was, a young inexperienced girl with too much on her plate and he was about to harden her life more with the news of her father.

"...Are you mad at me?" Lyanna finally asked silently looking up at him for the first time.

"Yes," Phil sighed "but it can wait. Get some rest if you can, we have a lot to do later on. And if you need to throw up let me know, I rather not have you mess up my car."

"I'm sorry," She mumbled as she leaned her head against the edge of the seat and closed her eyes, the sleep coming on to her fast, especially in the comfort of the car and familiar presence.

"I know you are."

"Love you," _Dammit,_ how could he stay mad at the kid for long?

Lyanna's sleep didn't last long, an hour and twenty-four minutes to be exact before she was nudged into awareness by Phil. Groaning lightly, she reached to rub her eyes as the lights from the 24/7 gas station shone brightly into them, not helping the pang of a headache she felt. A small pile of clothes were thrown into her lap along with a pair of white sneakers and Lyanna rose her eyebrow at Phil.

"Get changed, coffee is on the way. In an hour we will be boarding the Quinjet with Captain America to bring him to the Helicarrier. From there Fury will be commanding a team consisting of Natasha Romanoff and Bruce Banner along with others. You might want to sober up for that."

"Captain America huh? You must be looking forward to finally meeting him. Are you gonna ask him to sign your cards?" Lyanna grinned, knowing all about those vintage card collection.

"Be back in the car in five minutes." Phil opened his car doors and stepped out to bring them coffee. "And they're in the locker." With that the doors were shut loudly behind him, making her chuckle.

Fifteen minutes later, Lyanna returned to the car feeling more refreshed and awake after washing her make up off with cold water and in a fresh set of clothes.

"I said five minutes," Phil said handing her a plastic cup of hot coffee before setting down his own and starting the car.

"Yeah, yeah," Laynna brushed it off taking a sip of the bitter latte that Phil didn't bother to add enough sugar into. "What's the mission anyway?"

Phil hesitated for a moment, trying to come up with a gentler way to break the news. The lack of response made Lyanna look at him with an uneasy feeling growing in the bottom of her stomach.

"A hostile species landed on earth and stole the Tesseract, uh a powerful energy source, from S.H.I.E.L.D and we are gathering people to get it back before he creates a catastrophe and kills civilians."

"That doesn't sound too bad-"

"When he, Loki, broke into the facility, he took some agents under control...including your father. We don't know their location yet." Phil finished and took a glance at the girl. Lyanna's heart picked up instantly, beating hard against her chest plate and she heard herself exhale. The car went deathly quiet as she tried to process it, feeling as if her blood had frozen over and the fear nagging inside doubled it. Licking her suddenly dry lips she didn't look up at him.

"Loki, is he gonna kill h-him?" She finally asked making Phil's heart skip a beat and drop in his chest. He lifted his left hand off the gearbox and placed it on her shoulder, squeezing it gently.

"Kiddo, that won't happen, we will find him and bring him home. You need to focus on the mission."

Lyanna nodded lightly and brought her cup to her lips. They will bring him home. No matter what.

Captain America was impressive in real life, to say the least. Even without his uniform or shield present he still towered over and his presence demanded attention and respect. Lyanna sat across from him and had trouble not to just stare at him in awe. Forcing herself not to stare at him like some creep, she glanced at Phil as he finished typing into the system and stood up form his seat, walking closer to Steve. They were discussing matters about serums and gamma radiations, something she didn't really understand or cared about so she zoned them out, for the most part, tinkering with the small, silver chain bracelet that Clint had given to her for her birthday instead.

"I gotta say, it's an honour to meet you, officially. I sort of met you, I mean, I watched you while you were sleeping." Lyanna attention perked up and she frowned at Phil, his choice of words was weird, to say the least, and she took a glance at Steve who looked mildly uncomfortable by it as well.

"That was creepy as hell," She commented, biting back a smile but Phil ignored her, choosing to make the situation worse and explain himself instead.

"I mean, I was... I was present while you were unconscious from the ice. You know, it's really, it's just a... just a huge honour to have you on board." Steve rose from his seat and walked up to the pilots, pretending as if he didn't hear Phil's attempts but Phil just followed him too. ' _Oh boy.'_

"Well, I hope I'm the man for the job," Steve said instead as he looked out to the ocean, almost wishing to go back to it.

"Oh, you are. Absolutely." Lyanna cringed at the lack of hesitation. ' _You tried, Uncle, you tried.'_

Once the Quinjet landed, which was not that fun to experience it in motion as it landed, the ramp opened and Lyanna instantly unbuckled herself and left the plane where she met with approaching Natasha. In few steps, Lyanna wrapped her arms around the slender woman she knew all her life and breathed in the familiar scent of Black Widow.

"You doing okay? We'll find him." Natasha asked, squeezing her back before letting her go as the guys came into the view. Nodding Lyanna smiled lightly and turned around to the guys.

"Agent Romanoff. Captain Rogers." Phil introduced them to each other.

"They need you on the bridge. Face time. Lyanna, Director Fury is asking for your presence." Natasha informed them, her voice calm and collected as she nodded towards the ship.

"Laters," Lyanna excused herself and walked towards the entrance of the ship, leaving Natasha and Steve behind. Nick might have wanted to see her, but she needed to gear up first. She had a mission.

 **So here's the first chapter! Thank you so much for the follows and favourites I appreciate it very much 3 Hope you enjoy it!**

"So whats your deal? You seem pretty normal and human. What does SHIELD want with you?" Tony asked as he pored himself scotch on the rocks.

"Just

"I'm actually more useful in my human form than...than that _thing._ S-See I can sense stuff here, I can control what I'm doing hell I can see in the dark and sense the sound vawes like no other and I can smell stuff you wouldn't imagine. But Im a ticking time bomb cause one day this -" She pointed into her leg inahing deeply "this thing won't work, it won't contain that other creature and it will kill without remorse without hesitation, it wont recognise anyone. You might be able to control your other guy but I can't and one day it will quite literally kill me. We are all monsters here Doctor Banner," With that she wiped her eyes and left the room, shutting the door loudly behind her leaving Bruce and Tony with open mouths.

"Well that was...unexpected"

"Ah jeesh I'm not made for running" Lyanna sighed, out of breath. Frowning to herself she took a deep breath as her shoulders sagged and she sprinted across the burning ship again "Snakes arent meant for running. Has anyone seen a snake run? Its the worst thing snakes do. We arent made for it."


	3. Chapter 2

Lyanna was in no rush to meet Fury, regardless of his wishes to see her. She couldn't put her finger on what it was that made her delay the visit but every time she thought of going, her stomach clenched uncomfortably and her body felt as if it dropped a few degrees. Maybe she didn't want to find out what he had to say, maybe she just didn't want to hear 'I'm sorry' or 'it shouldn't have happened'. Just maybe, for few more minutes, she wanted to believe that the whole situation wasn't that bad. So instead of walking to the lower levels to the conference room, she took a slight detour to the first sublevel. Walking down a straight hallway to the VIP Apartments and Lounge part of the base, she typed in '72056vGs4f241' into the keypad.

"Welcome, Miss Barton." An automatic voice greeted her as she hurried past the living area and into her room. While she was not on any public documents or officially an agent of SHIELD , she had spent enough time around them to warrant a room in Clint's apartment. The room remained the same as she left it months prior. The room was mostly bare, only a single bed placed in the middle of the room with a tiny table and a large window looming over it. The bedside table was covered in a small layer of dust and a pair of mismatched earrings that were carelessly thrown on top of it. Sitting down on the bed, her hand reached for the framed picture from the table. It was a picture from a few years ago back on the farm. Clint had taken off some time from S.H.I.E.L.D and spent the time with his family. They were having a hike that day followed by a picnic near a lake. Clint was laying down on the blanket, defeated by Cooper and Lila who proudly sat on top of him, with Laura sitting by his legs with her arm wrapped around Lyanna, both girls smiling widely at the camera. Some lady was walking by and agreed to take the picture of the family. It was a nice day, a happy one and god she missed it.

Sighing, Lyanna half threw the picture frame on the bed and leaned back till her head met the mattress. Closing her eyes didn't help with the tightness she felt in her throat and the unevenness of her heartbeat did not ease. Was her dad alright? Did anyone tell her mum about what happened? They couldn't just kill him, they needed him for something clearly or they wouldn't have to take him and few others. Gulping down the thick saliva, she tried to push the guilt that slowly crept through her veins.

Lyanna pulled out her phone and opened the Contacts list, her eyes quickly finding the top number called 'dad'. Pulling it to her ear, she listened to the dial before it cut to the voicemail.

"Barton. Leave a message. Or don't." Those six words hitched her breath and her heart sped up even faster. Because it was his voice, the same one she heard for years. The same voice she heard last week making plans to go for coffee once he got back to the city. Blinking the burning sensation behind her eyes, she inhaled deeply and clutched the phone tighter to her ear.

"Dad?" she asked, only for silence to greet her. "I know you're in there. We'll find a way to bring you home. Just hang on. Please. I love you. We are coming, " Lyanna pulled the phone away and quit the call. She sat up and wiped at her eyes quickly. She had to change, find what the plan was and get her dad home. She was determined to do it, but paused for a second to grab her phone again and send a quick message to Laura. Because time was fleeting and her family was targeted and she was not about to entertain other possibilities. Throwing the phone back on the bed, she went to her wardrobe and pulled out her uniform.

From: Lyanna

To: Mom

' _I love you x'_

* * *

Finding her way to the Bridge, she came just in time to see Steve giving Fury what looked like a banknote of ten dollars. Her eyes caught the sight of Banner looking like a lost puppy trying to find somewhere to stand, restless as one could be. She couldn't blame him for not wanting to be around so many people, knowing they were watching his every move just in case he went crazy. Ready to pull out their guns and aim at him if he as much as twitched the wrong way.

"Doctor, thank you for being here," Fury extended his hand to Bruce who smiled politely and shook his hand.

"Thanks for asking nicely. So, um, how long am I staying?"

"Once we get our hands on the Tesseract, you're in the wind."

"Well, where are you with that?" He asked curiously as his eyes wandered around the place. Coulson stepped in as well to the conversation.

"We're sweeping every wirelessly accessible camera on the planet. Cell phones... "

Lyanna just like Steve, was lost on what's being said so she simply sat on one of the black chairs by the table and patiently waited for the briefing to be over. Her eyes flickered towards Natasha when she moved over to kneel by one of the computer screen's where Clint's face trace was in progress. "It's still not gonna find them in time." Natasha cut in quietly as she lifted herself back up.

"You have to narrow your field. How many Spectrometers do you have access to?"

"How many are there?"

"Call every lab you know. Tell them to put the Spectrometers on the roof and calibrate them for Gamma rays. I'll rough out a tracking algorithm, basic cluster recognition. At least we could rule out a few places. Do you have somewhere for me to work?".

"Agent Romanoff, would you show to his laboratory, please." Fury's eye watched as the pair left before he fully turned to face Lyanna, leaning against the metal railings.

"I thought I requested for you the moment you came aboard, not 48 minutes late. Clearly the instructions were too vague," Fury finally spoke, sounding somewhat sarcastic but his words didn't carry any real bite.

"What can I say, a girl gotta change and powder her face, not every day you get to meet superhero legends such as Captain America," Lyanna shrugged and spun in her chair.

"Yes, I'm sure but don't get too excited, this isn't the whole team and we have a job to do." He walked down the few stairs, approaching her where she sat and leaned on the table in front of her.

"Look kid, I'm not gonna sugarcoat this, when we find your father we don't know in what condition or mental state he will be in. From what we saw, the mind control isn't a cheap ass magic trick. It's some powerful stuff and I'm hoping that in some way your presence will evoke something in him or else I wouldn't have you here. But you also have to be careful in case he doesn't recognise you and in that instance, he is to be regarded as a treat until he is fixed, is that clear?"

"I'm more than capable of being here Director, regardless of the reason," she scoffed, ignoring the last remark.

"Maybe, but for now let's concentrate on bringing back your father. Laura would whoop my ass if I lost two Bartons' in one day." Fury chuckled and briefly put his hand on her shoulder, giving a gentle squeeze before straightening up and walking towards the agents working in the background.

"Director Fury?" She called after her.

"Yes?"

"You said "the team","

"Like I'm sure you heard, the Avenger's Initiative was scrapped until further notice."

"Does that mean I'm an Avenger?" Lyanna asked with a full smirk on her face. A snicker was the only response she got before their attention was brought to one of the agents.

"We got a hit, 67% match. Weight, cross match, 79%" Lyanna stood up from the chair and walked closer to the computer as Coulson asked for location.

"Stuttgart, Germany. 28, Konigstrasse. He's not exactly hiding." The face on the screen to some surprised looked very human and very attractive. Lyanna had half envisioned a monster, some hideous creature from outer space that came to cause chaos. But no, he looked perfectly normal and her heart sunk a little.

"Captain, Lyanna ye are up."

* * *

They made it just in time. Steve jumped in front of an elderly man just a second before Loki's beam made contact, shielding him and deflecting the blue light back at Loki, hitting him straight in the chest. Lyanna jumped down a moment later, her bow stretched and ready to release one of her own arrows. Her eyes were trained on the target, trying her best to concentrate. She could hear the movement of the people all around them, someone was shuffling to get away quietly, while someone else sprinted away, their shoes hitting louder and faster into the ground. There was even a tinge of smell of cold sweat in the crisp air. "You know, the last time I was in Germany and saw a man standing above everybody else, we ended up disagreeing." Steve spoke moving away from the civilians, Lyanna following him few steps behind.

"The soldier. A man out of time. And a child. That's the best that humanity can do?" Loki smirked standing back up, holding his sceptre.

"I'm not the one who's out of time." Just then Natasha flew the jet above them, machine gun ready to fire.

"Loki, drop the weapon and stand down." Her voice pierced through the speakers, a moment before Loki fired another beam, this time directing it to the jet. Simultaneously, Steve threw his shield at him and Lyanna fired the first arrow, it flew past Loki's shoulder. Both Steve and loki began to fight as Lyanna quickly reloader the arrow, shooting it again just as Loki throw Steve on the ground. The arrow flew towards Loki's head before it collided with a wall of magic, stopping it from hitting Loki. He turned his head towards her for a moment before Steve's shield striked at him again, which Loki deflected once again using his scepter and throwing Steve back on the ground.

"Kneel." Lyanna heard his command and pulled out a third arrow, aiming it to Loki's leg and releasing it without hesitation. The It sunk into his flesh, pausing him for briefest of time, which gave Steve a chance to jump kick him.

She was about to pull another arrow from her back but stopped to look at the sky to see a flaming ball of fire with the very low sound of engines becoming bigger each second. She frowned as AC/DC's "Shoot to Thrill" blasted through the jet's speakers. The fireball quickly gained the outline of a metal man suit who's open hand blasted Loki on the ground. He touched down on the ground before pulling out every piece of weaponry that the suit has.

"Make your move, Reindeer Games." Tony's voice come from the suit as Steve walked up to his side while Lyanna went to pick up the arrows lying on the ground. Loki's armour materialized away as he remained on the ground and reached to rip out the arrow from his leg, glancing at the tip of it and dropping it on the ground.

" Mr. Stark,"

"Captain."

* * *

The ride back to the base was not pleasant to say the least. Natasha piloted the jet while speaking to Fury, Steve and Tony were standing near the cockpit, Loki satvby the wall,all strapped in, and Lyanna sat facing opposite him, her bow lying on the floor beside her feet. The tension was thick and the rumbles of thunder that sounded louder than the last did not help.

Lyanna half listened to the growing frustration between Steve and Tony, mostly due to the latter's remarks, she was interested in staring at the god in front of her who for the most part looked out the window intently.

"What's the matter? Scared of a little lightning?" Steve asked noticing Loki's movement.

"I'm not overly fond of what follows."

A deafening crack of lightning caught everyone's attention, blinding them for a millisecond, which was followed by someone hitting the top of the jet. Lyanna jumped up from her seat and moved back closer to the guys out of pure instinct, her main weapon forgotten on the ground. Steve grabbed his shield as Tony put his helmet back on and pressed the panel to open the ramp and walked towards it.

Everyone's attention turned to the man with long blonde hair and hammer in his arm right as he punched Tony to the back end of the jet with it and grabbed Loki before jumping off. All within ten seconds.

"Jesus fuck," Lyanna breathed out watching Tony fly out after them. Steve hesitated for a second before reaching for a parachute.

"You okay?" He asked strapping himself with it. Lyanna nodded reaching for one as well.

"Yeah, I'm with you Cap."

"I'd sit this one out guys," Natasha advice, pressing the overhead buttons. "These guys come from legends, they're basically gods."

" There's only one God, ma'am. And I'm pretty sure he doesn't dress like that." Steve replied and a moment later jumped out of the jet.

"Be careful," The black widow shot a glance to Lyanna as she too walked down the ramp.

"I always am!" She shouted back before taking a deep breath, closing her eyes and jumping out of the aircraft.

* * *

Happy to be on the ground once more, Lyanna shed the parachute off of her and looked around. She could very lightly hear the booms and blasts of a fight going on somewhere nearby but she was not interested in joining. Her ass would be beaten in about three seconds and that didn't sound fun or very dignifying. Instead, she pulled out the pistol out of the holster and walked down the path up the rocky cliff. Spotting Loki at the side of it, she aimed the gun on him and walked in a semi-circle until she faced him. Lyanna's heart thumped fast as their eyes locked. Clenching her teeth, she breathed out as evenly as she could, trying to push away the wave of fear and nervousness that overwashed her.

"Stay where you are."

"A mere child, you are no match to me." Loki finally spoke, his voice, calm and sweet as honey, filled her ears. He looked her down and deeming her not a thread, turned his back to her and looked out towards the scenery.

"Sorry to disappoint grandpa," Lyanna mumbled quietly, her eyebrows knotting into a frown. While she did not move her eyes off of him, she lowered her gun just a bit after Loki remained calm and back faced her. Silence engulfed them. She wanted so desperately to demand her father's location, threaten him, maybe even put a few bullets in him but what good would that be if he snapped her neck? With Captain America's help, she might have been able to hold her own for a few moments but this?

"When I am a king and rule all over you, I will be particularly interested in your little secret." He spoke again, catching her off guard. His voice was still as sweet but carried a darker undertone. The hair on her skin stood up.

"My secret?" She asked and held her gun higher when he half turned. It was becoming harder to breathe, it was as if something was squeezing the air out of her lungs. Their eyes met briefly and it felt as if she could never look at anything else every again. He smirked.

"Why yes, I know all about your dark, dirty secret. I know what lies underneath those clothes. I know what you dream of in the dead of the dark. When I rule, I will have great pleasure in unleashing the beast." Loki grinned from ear to ear, his green eyes twinkling. Lyanna gulped and took a step back. Tony, Steve and Thor appeared a second later. It felt like she could finally breathe again. Showing the gun back into its holster she walked down the cliff, hand at her neck, rubbed gentle circles on, erasing the feeling of dread and suffocation.

* * *

 _Well, it's been a while. I'm sorry for such a long wait, I was having a mental block in the first half trying to fit Lyanna into the scenes. I can't wait for her to interact with the Avengers but it's always so awkward at the beginning._

 _Also just FYI, this fanfic will follow the canon for the majority of events event._

 _Also also, I kinda want to do this shameless plugin, but I am learning how to do fanvids for the Avengers and have two videos up so far. Obviously, it's nothing compared to artists like Slyfer2812, TheGaroStudios, TopScreen and many more who are pure legends at it. But I do hope one day I'll be able to create masterpieces like them. Anyyyway its GD Productions and it should pop up somewhere on youtube._

 _I swear I'll update this story quicker than last time too hahah._


	4. Chapter 3

They all watched the interaction between Loki and Fury through the virtual monitors. They gathered back in the conference room, all hunched around the table. Natasha sat on the right side with Lyanna beside her, Bruce stood nearby, and Steve sat opposite of them. Thor stood furthest away, his back facing them all as he didn't bother to watch Loki, preferring to listen to him instead. Loki's hands were free from the handcuffs that they brought him in but he was now trapped in a large glass cell held by hydraulic rigs. He seemed unfazed by the cage, in fact, he didn't seem to acknowledge it as he stared down at Fury who approached the glass. "In case it's unclear. You try to escape. You so much as scratch that glass," Fury explained, pressing the button that opened up the hatch underneath Loki's cell. "Thirty thousand feet, straight down in a steel trap. You get how that works?!". But Loki didn't look scared, didn't appear to be worried that beneath him, the gusting winds screeched. He chuckled instead, raising his hands in mock surrender and stepped back towards the centre of the cage.

"It's an impressive cage. Not built, I think, for me."

"Built for something a lot stronger than you," Fury shot back, watching Loki's every movement.

"Oh, I've heard," At that moment Loki turned to the camera. Lyanna felt her breath getting caught in her throat, it was as if his eyes pierced right through the cameras into her, his gaze not allowing her to look away or take in another breath of air.

"The mindless beast, makes play he's still a man. And a failed experiment of a child. How desperate are you, that you call upon such lost creatures to defend you?" His voice boomed through the dead silent room. Everyone was focused on Loki's voice, it was if they were all entranced by what the god of mischief had to say.

"How desperate am I? You threaten my world with war. You steal a force you can't hope to control. You talk about peace and you kill cause it's fun. You have made me very desperate. You might not be glad that you did." Fury walked closer to Loki but it made no difference, if anything it encouraged Loki to mock and play with the man.

"Ooh. It burns you to come so close. To have the Tesseract, to have power, unlimited power. And for what? A warm light for all mankind to share, then to be reminded what real power is."

"Well, you let me know if Real Power wants a magazine or something." The monitors went quiet and turned themselves off as Fury walked off. The group drowned in silence for a moment before Bruce attempted to break it.

"He really grows on you, doesn't he?" Bruce blurted out anxiously, making Lyanna snicker.

"Loki's gonna drag this out. So, Thor, what's his play?" Steve asked turning his attention to the god in front of them.

"He has an army called the Chitauri. They're not of Asgard or any world known. He means to lead them against your people. They will win him the earth. In return, I suspect, for the Tesseract." Thor explained and everyone took a double take on him, trying to process the information.

" An army? From outer space?" Steve was the first one to voice out their thoughts. It all just sounded too surreal to be true. A god or two from the outer atmosphere? Sure. But an army?

" So he's building another portal. That's what he needs Erik Selvig for." Bruce guessed quietly but the name caught the god's attention.

"Selvig?"

"He's an astrophysicist."

"He's a friend." There was a touch of sadness to his voice.

"Loki has him under some kind of spell along with one of ours."

"I wanna know why Loki let us take him. He's not leading an army from here." Steve spoke up realizing that his capture seemed to be too easy and didn't make sense anymore.

" I don't think we should be focusing on Loki. That guy's brain is a bag full of cats, you could smell crazy on him." Bruce advised. Loki was rubbing off on him in a wrong way and his inner beast seemed to get restless and harder to keep at bay with the trickster's presence near him.

"Have a care how you speak. Loki is beyond reason, but he is of Asgard, and he's my brother." Thor warned, his temper flashing briefly. Lyanna could relate to that, it was almost like an older sibling's pact or duty to be the only one to tell their younger siblings off. It didn't seem to be much different on another planet.

"He killed eighty people in two days," Natasha informed him with a stern glare.

"He's adopted," Thor responded without hesitation and Lyanna could guess he used that excuse often. She needed to write it down so she could use it against Cooper later on as a joke.

"Adopted or not, he has my father as a prisoner with his mind games. I'd like him back." Lyanna stated, her voice didn't carry any venom or resentment. It wasn't Thor's fault and she wasn't about to pick a fight with the god of thunder.

"Iridium, what did they need the Iridium for?" Bruce asked just in time for Tony to waltz in with Coulson to answer the question. Coulson flashed Lyanna a quick smile as he walked off. The two science men started to talk about the technical aspects, something she could not follow to save her life. So she pulled out her phone and disappointment flooded her instantly as she saw no new messages from her dad. Not that she was surprised, it would be unlikely that he would send her a message, let alone respond to the countless ones she sent. However, logic never stopped the hope from filling up in her whenever her phone lighted up or vibrated with a notification.

"I'm sorry for Loki's behaviour Lady Lyanna, I will do whatever is in my power to see that your father is returned to you. Loki has lost his ways, I must admit, but he is still family." Thor approached her for a moment, making Lyanna look up at his tall figure.

"Thank you, Thor, and uh... please it's just Lyanna," She smiled, her heart rate increasing. While they briefly shared the same jet on the way back to the base, she didn't really speak with him and to have him right in front of her was nerve-wracking, to say the least. He was a literal god.

* * *

Bruce was scanning the scepter for ration with a gamma-ray detection scanner while Tony looked through all of his monitors, shifting and solving as many algorithms and equations when Lyanna walked into the lab. Neither of the two men acknowledged her immediate entrance which gave her time to look around the room. It was filled with different equipment and monitors, the room was drowning in a bright white colour. It felt too sterile for her liking, reminding too much of the rooms she was placed in to run experiments and tests after she woke up. She could smell the stench of chloroform that surrounded certain parts of equipment, and the low buzzing of whatever Bruce was using filled her ears.

"Say, kid, since you're here. Any thoughts for bypassing the mainframe and directing a reroute to the Homer cluster?" Tony asked catching her presence out of a corner of his eye.

"Uhh...no but I can make a decent cup of coffee?" Lyanna offered innocently, making him take a double look at her and smile slightly.

"Okay, you can be part of the club,"

"This is a club now? Bruce asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Could be, we'd base in the tower. Top ten floors, all R&D. You'd love it, it's Candyland." Tony suggested as he pulled out a packet of blueberries and offered them to Lyanna as he walked back.

"Thanks, but the last time I was in New York I kind of broke...Harlem." Bruce mumbled, eyes downcast and focusing on the monitors.

"Don't blame ya, the traffic is shit." Lyanna pipped in, munching on the berries. Finding free space on the table nearby she hopped on top of it and swung her legs lightly.

"Plus I promise a stress-free environment. No tension. Apparently good coffee, which remains to be seen. No surprises." Tony said as he suddenly poked Bruce with a miniature electrical pod and leaned in to see his reaction. It was bad timing as Steve decided to enter the lab at that moment and was not pleased to see what Tony was doing.

"Hey! Are you nuts?" Steve exclaimed, "Threatening the safety of everyone on this ship isn't funny. No offence, doctor."

"He's fine as long as there's no traffic," Lyanna mumbled quietly, starting to find the tension in the room awkward. It was the same kind of awkwardness she felt when her mom gave out to her father for doing something reckless while Lyanna was in the room.

"No, it's alright. I wouldn't have come aboard if I couldn't handle pointy things," Bruce reassured as he too grabbed some berries per Tony's insistence. Lyanna reached her hand out for more of them as well.

"You're tiptoeing, big man. You need to strut." Tony noted as he walked closer to Lyanna so she could dig her hand into the packet.

"And you need to focus on the problem," Steve reminded him, still frowning about his antics. Lyanna could feel the situation starting to escalate, the tension growing between them. Her eyes wandered to Bruce who also seemed to be uncomfortable by the growing bickering but remained silent.

" You think I'm not? Why did Fury call us and why now? Why not before? What isn't he telling us? I can't do the equation unless I have all the variables."

"You think Fury's hiding something?" Steve asked seriously, his time in the army kicking in instantly. The annoyance was replaced by the need to gather all the information.

"He's a spy. Captain, he's the spy. His secrets have secrets. It's bugging him too, isn't it?" Tony pointed at Bruce who was trying to stay out of it as much as possible.

"Uh...I just wanna finish my work here and…" He muttered, lifting his arms awkwardly trying to indicate at the scepter and the monitors.

"Doctor," Steve urged for him to share his thoughts.

"'A warm light for all mankind', Loki's jab at Fury about the cube. Well, I think that was meant for Tony. Even if Barton didn't post that all over the news."

"The Stark Tower? That big ugly…" three pairs of eyes gave him a look, making him mumble out the rest of the sentence. "...building in New York?"

"It's powered by Stark Reactors, self-sustaining energy source. So, why didn't SHIELD bring him in on the Tesseract project? I mean, what are they doing in the energy business in the first place?" Bruce explained his train of thoughts and Lyanna had to admit it was a good point. Other than for the help in Germany there was no particular reason why Tony was still around or required in the first place.

"Don't tell me you…"

"You hacked into SHIELD?" Lyanna spoke over Steve, and straightened up to look at the phone Tony was holding. Tony nodded and moved his phone in a certain way so that the information wouldn't be limited to the screen, but would appear in the middle of the room instead.

" Jarvis has been running it since I hit the bridge. In a few hours, we'll know every dirty secret SHIELD has ever tried to hide."

"Yet you're confused about why they didn't want you around?" Steve scoffed.

"An intelligence organization that fears intelligence? Historically, not possible." Tony scoffed back at the idea.

"I think Loki's trying to wind us up. This is a man who means to start a war, and if don't stay focused, he'll succeed. We have orders, we should follow them."

"Steve, tell me none of this smells a little funky to you?" Bruce interjected genuinely asked the soldier, and a flicker of doubt and indecision crossed his face.

"Just find the cube," Steve ordered and left the room, pausing momentarily at the door.

"Lyanna, you coming? Could use your help." Steve asked and who was Lyanna to say no to Captain America.

"Adios boys, duty calls!" She jumped down the table and with a small wave to Tony and Bruce, left after Steve.

* * *

"So, you're here often?" Steve asked as they made their way down corridors into the deeper levels of the Helicarrier.

"Eh, I come here from time to time, mostly to visit my dad at this point. Since I'm not technically an agent, I don't get to see much of the cool stuff, but sometimes I help out with small things," Lyanna explained as they reached the door.

"I read your file, your case is interesting," he commented, pulling the door to the side and both of them looked behind to make sure no one is following them.

"What, are you worried that I'll break loose and cause chaos?" Lyanna chuckled as they walked further in and took a sharp right. Steve jumped and caught the second-floor railings and pulled himself up. He offered her a hand which she took out of politeness, more than a necessity, and he quickly pulled her up.

"No, unless you turn into a giant snake and have us all into your dinner."

"Well Cap, I can assure you that will not happen." she clarified and they fell into a comfortable silence.

"What do you think of what Stark and Banner said about Fury? Do you think he is hiding something?" Steve wondered as they walked through some of the rooms on the higher level. Most of them were empty.

"I don't know, it is possible. Fury is a good man and he has good intentions. He saved me and my family numerous times, but he has his own secrets and plans that not many people know, " Lyanna answered sd honestly she could as they entered another room, this time filled with crates. They shared a look between each other and Steve opened the crate closest to them. Lyanna peered over his shoulder and glanced into the crate.

"What is it?" she asked, seeing Steve freeze up for a second.

"Hydra weapons. We need to go back to the lab. now." Steve replied, clenching his jaw. He grabbed one of the weapons and they broke out into a run.

* * *

Almost everyone was already there when they reached the lab. Steve threw the weapon on the table, catching their attention.

"PHASE 2 is SHIELD uses the cube to make weapons," Steve informed them, his hands clenched at his sides, jaw tight. He was pissed.

"Rogers, we gathered everything related to the Tesseract. This does not mean that we're…" Fury tried to explain but was cut off by Tony moving the screen to show the plans and diagrams of weapons that SHIELD was creating. Lyanna looked at the screens, not knowing what to think. Did her dad know about it? Was he part of it? She vaguely knew what kind of stuff he was doing, creating weapons wasn't one of his jobs. But maybe he didn't tell her, decided to keep his involvement a secret. What about Coulson? Was he part of this? The whole point of SHIELD in her eyes was to fight evil in any means they could, but this was crossing a line. These were plans for potential attacks, with the intention to be destructible. Civilians died when everyone armed themselves up to this scale.

"I'm sorry Nick, what were you lying?"

"I was wrong, Director. The world hasn't changed a bit." Steve growled out. At that moment Natasha and Thor entered the room, Natasha's eyes were instantly trained on Bruce.

"You wanna think about removing yourself from this environment, doctor? Lyanna come here," Natasha asked, his increasing agitation radiating off him.

"What?" Lyanna mumbled but walked back to where Natasha was standing. Natasha instinctively stood a few millimetres in front of her, but not too much to catch attention from others.

"I was in Calcutta, I was pretty well removed." Bruce reminded her with a smirk on his face.

"Loki's manipulating you."

"And you've been doing what exactly?"

"You didn't come here because I bat my eyelashes at you." She reminded him, her voice had an edge to it.

" Yes, and I'm not leaving because suddenly you get a little twitchy. I'd like to know why SHIELD is using the Tesseract to build weapons of mass destruction."

"Because of him." Fury pointed at Thor.

"Me?" Thor asked, stunned at the sudden accusation coming his way.

"Last year earth had a visitor from another planet who had a grudge match that levelled a small town. We learned that not only are we not alone, but we are hopelessly, hilariously, outgunned."

"My people want nothing but peace with your planet."

"But you're not the only people out there, are you? And, you're not the only threat. The world's filling up with people who can't be matched, they can't be controlled." Fury tried to explain his reasoning, his desperate need to gear up against the things he suspected that were out there.

"Like you controlled the cube?" Steve called him out. Lyanna gulped, her eyes wandering from one person to another. She didn't say anything. Couldn't. Hell, she didn't say a word when her parents fought, let alone saying anything when real superheroes were having at each other. So she just stood back.

"You're working with the Tesseract is what drew Loki to it, and his allies. It is the signal to all the realms that the earth is ready for a higher form of war." Thor accused right back, his voice booming.

"A higher form?"

"You forced our hand. We had to come up with something."

"Nuclear deterrent. `Cause that always calms everything right down." Tony responded sarcastically, shaking his head.

"Remind me again how you made your fortune, Stark?" Nick shot back but Lyanna wasn't listening anymore. Everyone was debating their roles and throwing blame right and left, ignoring the subtle change in the atmosphere of the room. Lyanna looked around the room, something was buzzing and vibrating ever so slightly but it increased every time someone shouted over someone else. The air felt different too, more heavy, foggier. Time felt as if it was passing more slowly. She reached her hand to rub her left eye, it felt as if something was flickering and itching at the very corner of her eye. Her eyes met the scepter and she could have sworn it was flickering brighter shade of blue. She blinked and the scepter was gone from the table. Blinked again and it was in Bruce's hands. It felt as if everyone's eyes fell on the Scepter at the same time. The air cleared slightly.

"Guys.." Lyanna whispered, her voice hitching in her throat.

"Doctor Banner... put down the scepter." Steve advised, his voice much gentler than it was moments ago. Bruce looked down, shock written all over his face, but they had no time to dwell on it. The monitors flashed red and a few different sounding alert noises filled the room.

"Sorry kids, You don't get to see my little party trick after all," Bruce mumbled and walked over to the screen.

"Located the Tesseract?" Thor asked walking closer as well. The room erupted in noise from everyone, but it all came out mumbled. Lyanna wasn't paying attention, something didn't feel right. The air became easier for a moment when Bruce held it and everyone's attention was on it, but now it was back to feeling heavy. Lyanna's eyes widened and she looked at Bruce. The floor felt warmer. There was ever so slight change in temperature.

"Oh my God," Bruce managed to say before the first explosion hit. All hell broke loose.

* * *

The explosion shook through the Helicarrier, before it ripped through the floor, throwing Lyanna and everyone else off their feet in different directions. Lyanna's back hit against the table she previously sat on as she grabbed her head with her hands, trying to protect herself against getting hit with the flying pieces of glass. Groaning, she rose up along with Steve and Tony who went straight to action.

"Put on the suit," Steve ordered as they raced out of the room to smoke-filled corridors. They waste no time to run down to where the engines were. The deeper they went, the dimmer the corridors on level 2 became and more debris laid on the ground, obstructing their path.

"Find engine three. I'll meet you there." Tony said as he took a turn for the tech room, leaving Steve and Lyanna to find their way.

"You have a weapon on yourself?" Steve asked, not wanting the girl to be defenceless.

"Yeah, a handgun" She answered and pulled it out for a good measure. Approaching the door, Steve opened the door to be greeted a couple of SHIELD men, carrying injured personnel. Lyanna aimed the gun automatically but didn't pull the trigger. Passing them, they arrived at the giant hole where part of the ship was missing.

"Stark, we are here!" Steve roared against the wind, looking for Tony's armour. He turned up seconds after and assessed the damage.

"Let's see what we got. I gotta get this superconducting cooling system back online before I can access the rotors and work on dislodging the debris." Tony spoke out loud before commanding

"Rogers, I need you to get to that engine control panel and tell me which relays are in overload position." Tony started to shoot his beams to the debris to clear them out of the turbine while Steve jumped over the edges of platforms to get to the panel.

"The relays are intact. What's our next move?" Steve called out after checking them.

"I'm gonna have to get in there and push to kick jump the rotors. Lyanna, see that red level? Guard it and pull it only once I tell you to"

"Won't you get shredded?" She called out to him

"Not if you press the lever when I tell you," he remarked before flying off. She pulled the gun back into its holster and took few steps back before jumping across the missing floor. Grabbing onto an edge that stuck out due to the blowup, she easily pulled herself up to where the level was on. Improved agility sure helped things out.

Steve wasted no time and joined her, moments before they were greeted by rogue soldiers. Lyanna grabbed for her gun and clicked off the safety, missing the grenade that was thrown near them. Steve jumped with it, knocking it to empty space as he made it to another broken platform where he was met by two more rogues. Lyanna aimed her gun and released few rounds on the men on the platform below her, the bullets hit the targets, low enough to injure but not kill. More soon followed, and she had to move to avoid being hit herself as bullets were fired.

"Steve?" She called out, using one of the walls as a cover and aiming back to the soldiers. The problem was that now she was across the room and if Tony called out, they would be fucked. Aiming again, she shot one of them in the foot, almost missing the target. Steve appeared back behind them and kicked one of them, knocking him on the ground. Another one soon followed and he picked up the two dropped weapons, throwing one of them on the upper platform and jumping on it as well. Lyanna grabbed the weapon and held it awkwardly in her hands, the thing weighing her arms down.

"Cap I don't know how to use this," Lyanna informed him as she pulled it closer and tried to aim it right. While she was used to using a bow and a small gun, this was a whole new territory.

"Just point and shoot!" Steve called out and aimed it to the next bunch that came over. Lyanna followed suit and pressed the trigger but the sudden change of direction of the ship made her lose focus and shoot a wall instead.

Steve's grunt as he slipped caught her attention and she aimed at the rogue, releasing a stream of bullets. Most of them hit the floor and walls but one of them managed to graze his shoulder and he went down. Without hesitation, she threw the weapon down and ran to the edge of the broken platform where Steve was dangling by a loose cable. She sunk onto her knees and held one hand into the wall while her other one reached for Steve. Steve slowly managed to rope himself up high enough to grab onto her hand, not accounting of how heavy he actually was, Lyanna almost fell down with him.

"Jesus fuck Cap!" She groaned out, holding tighter onto the wall and using it as support to lift his weight.

"I need the lever!" Tony called out in but neither one of them were able to do it at the minute.

"We need a minute!" Lyanna called out loud enough so that Tony could pick it up through Steve's comm piece. Steve wasn't fully back on the ship yet and if she let go, he would fall.

" Lever!" Tony demanded and Lyanna gave one more push against the wall, using all the strength she had. Steve's hand hit the top of the steel floor and he managed to pull himself up. Scraping off her knees, Lyanna wasted no time to grab the lever. She shielded her head with her arms as fresh bullets flew her way but it stopped just as suddenly, with Steve seizing the gun and taking the man out. Reaching out, she pulled the lever down to herself and took in a deep breath, lying down on the ground in relief. Iron man's suit flew in through the hole back into the Helicarrier a few minutes later and Steve slumped against the wall as well, needed a moment.

"That was fun, let's never do it again," Lyanna breathed out, the adrenaline rushing out of her. She could tell all of them were just a bit shaken from the experience. The relief didn't last long. It never did. It disappeared and was replaced back by adrenaline and crushing pain.

" _Agent Coulson is down. They called it. Agent Barton is in the medical ward."_

* * *

 **Thank you for the follows and favourites and comments guys! I love getting the notification for them!**

 **Hope you are enjoying the story.**

 **Also, Endgame broke me, seen it on Tuesday and still haven't recovered.**


	5. Chapter 4

Phil Coulson was dead. Fully and completely dead. His body laid in one of the private rooms. He was laying there for hours now. Long enough for his face to gain the pale, ashy look and a blue tint to already settle on his lips. He looked peaceful, asleep even, but Lyanna knew better. His chest didn't rise anymore, it was forever stuck in the still position that it was, his eyes never twitched or flickered like they do if someone was asleep. No, they were forever shut.

It took Lyanna over an hour to open the door, to step inside the room that contained his body. God she wished she didn't step in, that she turned the other direction and went to her dad, that she forgot for just a moment that she didn't lose the uncle she was closest to. But she also had to see it. She had to see the damage because it was her fault. If she was faster, if she went towards the cell containing Loki, maybe she could have pulled him out of the way, do something, anything to change the outcome. But instead, she was here, standing over his dead body. And she was torn, both unconditional sadness and rage coursing through her. On one hand, she wanted to disappear, to go home back on the farm, and as childish as it sounded, she wanted to go to her parent's room as she did when she was a child. She craved for them to make it better, to make everything okay again. She knew they found her dad and that he was in the medical wing but she couldn't force herself to walk there. What if he was still under mind control or didn't recognise her? What if he couldn't remember her because of something that Loki did? She couldn't do it. Couldn't step in and face him and see him staring blankly at her.

On the other hand, she wanted to hurt something or someone, desperately needed to make someone hurt as much as she hurt. To avenge what was done to him because, God, he didn't deserve this. Yet all she could do was to stand over him, to clench her fists and dig her nails until blood pooled inside it. It brought a small relief, distracted some part of her mind that was so set on taking in his beaten down body, but it wasn't enough. So she pressed harder, dug in her nails harsher, to feel something else.

The door snapped opened and Lyanna stiffened up but didn't turn to see who it was. She couldn't take her eyes off of the body.

"Hey, Lee." A voice muttered behind her, so familiar, that her head shot up and turned instantly to the source. Clint stood right there, a bit banged up but otherwise looked completely the same way he did the last time she saw him. Hearing him speak the nickname he gave her again after so long of silence, was all it took for her walls to break and the dam to open.

"Dad?" She whispered out, not quite believing he was there, but his arms felt strong and real as he pulled her to his chest.

"Yeah kid, I'm here," he murmured into her ear and kissed her temple. Her arms wrapped tightly around his neck, her head burrowed into his neck. He smelled just like always, citrus cedar and patchouli with the slightest touch of hairspray that he never would admit using was intoxicating. It was enough to pull her out of the deep, dark hole in her mind.

"Come on, let's get out of here, yeah?" Clint suggested gently, pulling her away enough to inspect her face.

"What happened?"

"Oh you know, Natasha kicked my ass like usual. The usual," Clint smiled at her, and pulled her out of the room, giving one final look at Phil before shutting the door. He led her back to their private rooms. Lyanna refused to let go of him, afraid he would disappear if she as much as turned away. Clint positioned them on the couch and leaned back against the back pillows and Lyanna instinctively leaned into his chest, but refused to release the fabric of his jacket.

"I'm not going anywhere kid, not like this time. I'll help the team to catch him, but I'll be back, "

"I'm comin'," she mumbled into his chest. Her eyes had closed against her will the moment she got comfortable, she was surrounded by his smell and his arms provided some heat, making all of her activities in the past days to catch up with her.

"Lee, it's better if you go home,"

"No, I'm coming with you. Please. Don't send me away. Dad, please," Her eyes flashed open, full of unshed tears and voice shook so badly that it broke his heart. She couldn't entertain the idea of him going somewhere again.

"Okay kiddo, okay. You can come. Just take some breaths. Everything is okay," Clint held her closer, running his hand through her blonde hair. God, it reminded him of the countless nights he spent carrying her back and forth his and Laura's room after the accident, desperately trying to comfort her from the nightmares and the pain, feeling like a failure of a father on the nights he couldn't. This was exactly the same, he couldn't shield her from this. So instead he ran his hand down her back, waiting till her cries died down and were replaced by sniffles and occasional hiccups.

"We have a few hours before we need to start heading, why don't you go wash your face and come lay down for a bit?" There was a moment of hesitation.

"Okay," Lyanna hoarsed out and rubbed hard at her eyes before she rose from her position. She could feel his eyes on her but she couldn't meet them, she could only give a shaky half-smile before she dashed out to the bathroom.

Clint sat in the same spot when she came back and she took no time to retake her spot on the couch, curling up to him. She clutched his shirt into her fist but refused to close her eyes. In case he disappeared again.

"It's okay, rest a bit, I promise I will wake you up when it's time to go." Knowing that her dad never broke a promise to her, her stiff shoulders finally loosened up and she was able to settle down long enough to fall asleep.

* * *

A blast caused by Loki hit the jet on one of the sides, causing it to get caught on fire and spin uncontrollably. Lyanna groaned holding tight onto the roof railings as the jet fumbled out of the sky and towards the ground. Clint piloted, hitting the sides of the of buildings as they went, and crash landed the jet the best he could. They all departed into the chaos in the streets. It was a mess on the ground, the fallen rubble from the buildings was scattered on the roads, the cars abandoned, some burnt out and damaged, as people scattered and ran for cover and safety. Lyanna looked around the mess with a weary heart.

"We gotta get back up there!" Steve called out as they broke into the run towards the tower, running by few cars, pushing past running people. However, they were stopped in a four-way street by a loud rumbling from the sky. A shadow from the sky engulfed them while everyone watched in horror as enormous, part turtle part caterpillar looking Chitauri Leviathan flew over them from the portal, with soldiers clinging onto it. It wasted no time to cause destruction as it flew by closer to them than anyone wanted, the soldiers jumping off its back and attaching themselves onto the buildings and breaking inside the rooms.

"Stark, are you seeing this?" Steve spoke into the earpiece as looked around, noticing Tony fly after the Leviathan.

"I'm seeing, still working on believing. Where's Banner? Has he shown up yet?"

"Banner?"

"Just keep me posted."

"Lyanna, with me," Clint called out as he hid behind an abandoned taxi car and Lyanna followed, pulling out an arrow out of the holder and into the bow.

"Remind me to upgrade your bow when we get home," Clint eyed his old bow that she had, while it was lightweight and stabilised, it didn't really much add ons. Not like his current one.

"You could just give me yours," Lyanna grinned.

"Keep dreaming kiddo," Clint shot back as Steve joined them, slightly out of breath.

"We've got civilians trapped." Clint turned his head to the streets that Loki zoomed by, shooting beams of energy at them and the cars around them, causing explosions and thick, black smoke throughout the roads. Steve looked back at the team conflicted, not wanting to leave them but not wanting to doom innocent people to their deaths. Lyanna stayed in her spot and aimed at the few soldiers that fell from the sky near them, shooting at them simultaneously as Natasha shot with her handguns.

"We got this. It's good. Go!" Natasha called out to Steve not missing a shot.

"You think you can hold them off?" Steve asked to make sure they weren't left at a disadvantage if he left.

"Captain. It would be my genuine pleasure," Clint gave a small smile as he too pulled a trigger on his mechanical bow, shooting the arrow straight into the soldier's eye, gaining few moments for Steve to run. The shot arrow opened up and killed two more soldiers. Lyanna and Natasha continued to shoot at the advancing soldiers while Clint ran to the nearby bus with passengers trapped inside and helped the children out of the window before ripping open the door to let out the adults. Once they were freed, Clint returned to their side, helping them out.

"Just like Budapest all over again!" Natasha shouted over the deafening sounds around them.

"You and I remember Budapest very differently," Clint responded calmly, not missing any shot.

"What happened in Budapest?" Lyanna asked curiously, shooting the arrows into the alien soldiers as quickly as she could but it didn't compare to the speed Clint and Natasha were shooting.

"We'll tell you when you grow up," Clint remarked and glanced at her arrow holder that was nearing half empty already. Without a word, he scooped a handful of his and threw them into with hers before changing one of the settings in his bow and shooting again.

"Well, we got its attention, what was step two?" Tony's voice echoed through everyone's ear pieces. Lyanna aimed the arrow at the soldier that threw Clint onto the ground and shot it straight in the head. It fell limp on him and he took no time to kick it off him before joining the fight again. Steve jumped in the fight with them just in time when they were getting overcrowded by the soldiers and Thor followed suit a moment later, casting a large amount of lightning from the top of a tower, electrocuting the soldiers around them.

"Grab the arrows," Clint told Lyanna as Thor landed on the ground in front of them. He grabbed a few of them for himself but left most of them for her.

"What's the story upstairs?" Steve asked as they got a few minutes of a break and regrouped.

"The powers surrounding the cube is impenetrable," Thor answered approaching Steve. Lyanna blocked out most of the conversation, trying her best to recover her strength as she picked up the remaining arrows. While the adrenaline still coursed through her, the intensity of the fight left her exhausted and in need of a break.

"You okay Lee?" Clint walked over and put a hand on her shoulder. Her face was covered in sweat, dirt and some of her make up was already smudged.

"Yeah, I'm fine," She gave him a light smile and readjusted her grip on the bow, arrow ready to shoot.

"You know you can always move back to safety yeah? No one expects you to stay the entire fight,"

"Yeah dad, I know. I'm fine, I promise," She reassured and with a nod from him, they moved back to the rest of the team, in time to hear Thor declaring that he had unfinished business with Loki.

"Yeah, get in line," Clint called in as he wiped off the blood of some of his own arrows.

"Save it. Loki's gonna keep this fight focused on us and that's what we need. Without him, these things could run wild. We got Stark up top, he's gonna need us-" Steve was interrupted by the sound of a motorbike approaching them with Bruce driving it.

"So, this all seems horrible," Banner mentioned looking around the broken city and glanced at the team.

"I've seen worse." Natasha shrugged in reply.

"Sorry."

"No. We could use a little worse." She reassured with a small smile.

"Stark? We got him." Steve called out

"Banner?" Tony asked.

"Just like you said," Steve confirmed.

"Then tell him to suit up. I'm bringing the party to you." Tony's voice echoed through their earpieces

"It's good to see you again, Bruce," Lyanna smiled at him, glad to see him alive. He looked at her uncertainly for a second before smiling back at her.

"Thanks, good to see you too,"

Just then Tony's suit flew around the corner of a tall building towards them with the Leviathan following close by, hitting and damaging the building as it turned.

"I..I don't see how this is a party," Natasha stuttered as she watched, fear evident in her eyes for the first time during the fight.

"More like a killer hangover.," Lyanna mumbled under her breath as she watched as well, walking closer to her dad. Bruce looked back at the approaching beast and walked closer towards it.

"Doctor Banner now might be a really good time for you to get angry. " Steve suggested watching as the Leviathan flew low and skimmed through the road.

"That's my secret, Cap. I'm always angry," With a smirk, Bruce's skin turned to shades of green before his shirt ripped, his body transforming into the Hulk. Hulk's fist collided with the monster and it flipped over him. Clint grabbed Lyanna by the arm and pulled her towards another abandoned car for cover. Once it was dead, they regrouped in a circle watching every angle for a possible threat. Their luck lasted for a minute before two more Leviathans escaped through the portal.

"Alright, listen up. Until we can close that portal up there, we're gonna use containment. Bartons, I want you on that roof, eyes on everything. Call out patterns and strays. Stark, you got the perimeter. Anything gets more than three blocks out, you turn it back or you turn it to ash." Steve called out the plan with such authority and confidence, shivers ran down her back.

"Wanna give us a lift?" Clint asked Tony. He approached them and grabbed them by their back clothing.

"Right. Better clench up, Legolas," With that, the ground disappeared from their feet and they were in the air and deposited on top of the building. Lyanna stood on top and glanced around, they were placed close enough that if she squinted hard she could see Natasha and Steve on the ground. Her attention was split between the roars of hulk jumping and smashing the soldiers with their vehicles and Thor summoning the lightning and turning the sky dark before blasting it to the portal and exploding the oncoming Leviathan with countless soldiers.

"Concentrate," Clint reminded her, glancing over at her from time to time as he was shooting at any of the aliens that passed them.

"I'm trying!" She called back as she aimed again, but the speed at which they moved did not help her and she missed again.

"Aim higher and to the left, shoot four seconds earlier," He advised as he shot yet another Chitauri without looking. Lyanna followed his instructions and to her joy, she managed to hit a few. The fight carried on, and with more and more Chitauri approaching she started to feel more desperate, she was running out of arrows fast and they were nowhere near close to winning.

"Nat, what are you doing?" Lyanna's attention was caught by Clint's words and she turned around to see Natasha fly one of the vehicles with Loki hot on her trail. Her heart sank to her feet and she reached behind for an arrow but found only air, leaving her only to watch Clint aim at and shoot one of his explosive arrows.

With more Chitauri dropping on where they were standing, Clint was forced to use his bow as a melee weapon while Lyanna dropped her bow on the ground and pulled out her gun.

"Lee, Jump now!" Clint ordered as he changed the setting for his last arrow and grabbed her arm tightly and pulled her over the ledge. He let go of her for a second, making Lyanna scream out in terror, shot the arrow to a wall and managed to grab her again, his grip almost dropping her. They crashed through the window into one of the abandoned offices, the force and momentum threw Lyanna further into the room, her back colliding with the furniture. For a split second, she couldn't breathe, her vision flickered, the sound becoming distorted. Clint groaned as the shattered glass dug into his skin but wasted no time to half crawl to her.

"Hey, kid, you alright? Lee?" He shook her shoulder lightly, making her groan out. She could barely make out his face but reached for him.

"Dad?" She moaned out, recognising his voice. She heard him breathe in a sign of relief. His earpiece was damaged from the impact, meaning that if she was got injured because of his dangerous stunt, he couldn't call for help.

"Yeah kid, dad is here. Don't get up too fast, that was a harsh hit." He mumbled and gently helped her into a sitting position.

"We need to go back there," Lyanna mumbled holding her head, wishing for the pounding to go away.

"No, you're done."

"But the team-"

"I'm not risking you for a team. You're staying back, that's an order." He wrapped his arms under her arms and knees before lifting her up, groaning at the added weight.

"I can walk!" Lyanna protested, a deep blush spreading across her cheeks. Thank God no one from the team could see it.

"Yeah, yeah." He grumbled but continued to carry her down through the building, not trusting for the elevator to be stable enough at the moment. The last thing they needed was to be trapped in a metal box.

By the time they descended down to the lower levels, the fight was won. Hulk's load roar pointed them to the direction of everyone else. Clint released her legs to walk but still had an arm around her, giving something for her to lean against. They were met with Thor, Steve and Hulk gathered around Tony who was on the ground.

"You guys alright?" Steve asked noticing them approach.

"Yeah, what the hell happened?" Clint asked while Lyanna simply nodded and closed her eyes momentarily, the exhaustion flooding through her body and making her want to pass out right now.

"Oh you know, threw a missile into the hole, no biggie," Tony groaned out getting off the ground and looked around. The team were battered and the city looked worse for wear, but they won. Only Loki was left now. They made their way to the Stark tower in silence, everyone too tired to make conversation, where they found Loki lying on the stairs, his back faced to them.

"If it's all the same to you, I'll have that drink now." Loki gave a small smile seeing them all point weapons to him, knowing full well he couldn't fight them off. Thor grabbed him harshly by the arm and dragged him up to a standing position.

"Where shall I put him, Stark?" Thor asked glaring at his little brother.

"Put him in one of the guest rooms in the upper floors, JARVIS will lead the way. JARVIS ensure the room is properly secured and that Loki doesn't escape."

"Certainly, sir. If you may walk towards the elevator Mr Odinson," JARVIS responded in his soothing voice and Thor pulled Loki to that direction. As Loki was dragged out of the room, he glanced to where Lyanna was standing, their eyes meeting. His eyes flashed bright green and for a millisecond Lyanna's reflected them. Momentarily, her mind went numb and everything went still quiet. ' _Come to me, child.'_ Then everything went back to normal and she took a deep breath.

"You okay kid?" Tony asked passing by with a glass of Scotch already in his hands.

"Y-yeah. Fine. Hey, where you get this?" She asked trailing behind him, the small interaction between her and Loki forgotten.

* * *

Loki was held in a bare and unfurnished room until Thor regathered energy for the trip to Asgard, locked in securely by JARVIS. Yet he wasn't alone. Lyanna stood in the room with him, her body stiff and eyes glassy. Briefly, she looked over the room, it was mostly drowning in darkness, apart from the lamp in the corner, she couldn't remember making her way here. It was late, she shouldn't be here. Her eyes met Loki's again. It didn't matter.

"These look like marvellous contraptions in your body, but they have no use in here," Loki stood closer to her than ever before, she could feel his breath on her face. He lifted his hand above her shoulder and a bright green light engulfed it. A second later, Lyanna's breath got sucked in and blinding pain consumed her body, her legs got shook and she collapsed on the floor. The spark of pain was enough to break the heaviness in her mind and she looked at him with terror in her eyes. But it was too late. Her skin began to crack and split open, blood gushing in between and it dripped on the floor, leaving a pool of wetness on the floor, her eyes misting over to a blue tint. Gasping, she whimpered while her body ripped itself into pieces, her skin scattering with scales and her jaw dislocating to accommodate the long and hollow fangs. Her whimpers died down eventually and the room became deadly silent, Loki watching the transformation with an interest. Her eyes shifted sideways to where Loki was standing and slowly stood up, never breaking her gaze. A moment passed. Loki grasped her face in his hand causing a loud hiss escape through her as her mouth parted to bare out her teeth.

"Aren't you a beauty," Loki mumbled inspecting her in great detail. "This is going to be fun," His appearance reconstructed into an image of a younger, blonder man. His hand trailed down to her neck and he tightened his grip before shoving her to a wall, his lips upon her, leaving cracks behind.

 **Hey guys, I would have updated earlier but I got a job and spent the majority of free time completing an assignment that the lecturer did not accept cause it was late. Of course, I found that out after I spent over a month finishing. Fun.**

 **Well, this was a trickier chapter. I originally planned for Tony to bring Lyanna with him to the tower but I figured logically Clint would never let his kid go into a dangerous situation whether it was with Iron man or not but would rather keep an eye on them himself. I hope you don't hate the last part, I had the idea for a long time and was toying it for a while. Just to explain if I didn't make it clear enough, after the events that happened with the death of Coulson, her father's return and the huge battle that happened, Lyanna is tired af both mentally and physically which made easier for Loki to manipulate her. And it will obviously have a huge impact for the future. Also, with Avengers story being finished, Age of Ultron is coming with our favourite boi.**

 **Thank you for everyone that keeps reading, following, favouring and commenting, it truly means a lot and I love getting notifications for it.**


	6. Chapter 5

**SOOOOO… I finally updated lol. Inspiration hit me like a truck tonight, so here it goes. I haven't been updating this story for a while and I'm surprised that many people have followed and favourited it. Also I went through all my drafts and apparently me being me did not make a rough draft for the story or the main points BUT wrote random paragraphs for Infinity War and Endgame? Like what is wrong with me lol. But I sure hope you enjoy this chapter and stick with me and these random ass updates. Love ya x.**

 _2012, Day after the Attack_

The following morning, Lyanna woke up on the floor with a deep ache in her bones and with a pounding head. She lifted her head and pain erupted behind her eyes. The memories returned to her, bit by bit, and her heart froze.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck," Lyanna muttered lifting herself from the ground or at least trying to before she was stopped midway by agonising pain exploded in her chest and ribs. The flashes of last night wouldn't stop. She couldn't get rid of the images of what happened, of Loki, of them, of how it felt, of the pain and power and pleasure it brought. Bile rose to her mouth, burning her throat as she realized. She liked it. She fucking enjoyed it. She enjoyed being fucked by someone who killed people, who killed Phill. Who had destroyed half of New York.

Lyanna barely scraped to the toilet before everything rose in her and she threw up. She retched for a few moments before the gags turned into whimpering. Her body shook violently at the force of sobs that she couldn't stop from escaping. Her fists grabbed and took a tight grip of her hair and she squeezed her eyes shut. She could barely feel the ache in her ribs and head anymore, all she could concentrate on was the pain and the constriction in her chest, she could barely breathe. What has she done?

"Miss Barton, would you like for me to contact your father or Mr. Stark? You seem to be in distress." The soothing voice of J.A.R.V.I. S called out and she jumped back in fright. Swallowing back her tears, she slowly rose up clutching her side.

"No. No... I'm fine. It's all fine," She hoarsed out and leaned further in the sink.

"Are you certain?"

Lyanna nodded in conformation even though she figured the A.I couldn't see her. Maybe it could, but Lyanna couldn't have cared less. Her reflection in the mirror stared right at her, but she couldn't stand it. It disgusted her.

She let out a scream as her first contacted the mirror, and she didn't stop till it all fell out from the frame and either sunk into her fist or scattered on the floor. Breathing heavily, she pulled her hand back and let the blood drip to the floor.

"Miss Barton medical assistance is recommended," Jarvis spoke again, startling her.

"I said I'm fine Jarvis," Her voice cut sharply and with enough authority to silence it.

She was fine. Everything was fine.

* * *

Lyanna clenched her legs like never before as she struggled to remain sitting on Steve's bike and aim her pistol at the soldiers that got too close to them. It really did not help that he kept driving like a madman, pushing the bike over rocks and taking sharp turns right and left. Adrenaline was pumping through her as the trees blurred past them, a shaky half-smile forming on her lips for the first time. All the Avengers were here fighting together to destroy one of Hydra's bases that they suspected Loki's sceptre was held at and she was a part of it, she belonged too. It was thrilling and made her forget.

"Shit!" Tony exclaimed in the intercom as he hit a protective shield with his body. Lyana's head instinctively turned to where she saw him last.

"Language. JARVIS, what's the view from upstairs?" Captain reprimanded and Lyanna couldn't help but laugh. Bickering between Tony and Steve was always a treat to witness. Her eyes scanned through the clearing that was swarmed in soldiers. No matter how many of them they eliminated, they were surrounded.

"I know," Steve sighed as he revved the engine. "Jump!" He shouted at Lyanna before throwing the bike over them into oncoming soldiers. The bike had enough force to completely destroy a vehicle, but she didn't have much time to admire Steve's strength. Her sudden movement ripped out the tiny intercom from her ear and she had no time to find it because shots kept flying past them. Pulling her bow from her back she sprinted to left, going towards the base from the side. The soldiers were determined to stop the Avengers, maybe she could slip past them unnoticed.

Listening for footsteps she made her way across the forest, escaping the majority of the solders but stopped in her tracks as she heard something approaching between the trees not far from her. Raising her bow, she set one of her arrows ready and inhaled sharply before releasing and shooting a soldier right in his forehead before he had time to get close to her. She didn't bat an eye as he fell straight to the ground and ceased to move. She approached the body and reached for the arrow, pulling it out with no remorse as it made a sickening sound. Her nose scrunched in disgust as she wiped the blood and parts of the brain into her pants but froze when the lightest sound reached her senses. She almost mistook it for the wind, but a hue of blue lingered between the trees long enough for her to see. Strange.

"I see you," Lyanna called out into the woods as she spun around. A whooshing sound passed her again, closer this time. She set the arrow she just pulled out of the corpse and prepared to fire.

"Do you now?" A male voice with a thick accent called out almost teasingly. Narrowing her eyes, she aimed where she thought he was and made a shot. She missed.

"Yes?" Lyanna lied, trying her best to spot him but he was too fast for the naked eye to see.

"I don't think so," With that he disappeared, and she was alone once again. Sighing she broke into a run once more. She could see the stone walls of the city when the sounds of the battle reached her ears. She looked at the walls once more before changing her direction and running towards the fight. The team might need a backup.

* * *

The scene was pure chaos as shots of guns, rockets, arrows and lightning kept colliding with each other. Hiding between trees, she aimed at the back of the soldiers that were heading straight towards Steve and Thor. She did not expect for the hammer and the shield to collide and create a huge shock force and to send the tank flying in pieces.

The large debris of exploding tanks flew everywhere. Lyanna froze as she saw the flying metal coming down, right towards her. Her eyes widened, but all she had time for was to drop her bow and instinctively cover her head. This was it, she was going to die. She could feel the metal millimetres away from her head, in fact, it probably touched her.

Suddenly everything blurred in her vision and wind screamed into her ears. Strong hands grabbed her arms and yanked her and suddenly her feet couldn't feel the ground beneath her. She shut her eyes and held her breath until she was dropped to the ground. Falling to her knees, Lyanna gasped and looked around. She was in a different place, far away to not hear the battle

"Ya alright?" The same thick accent she heard before asked as a tall figure towered over her. Looking up, she saw a pale guy with silver hair and a few days worth of stubble. He wore a fitting dark tracksuit and a pair of runners. She met his bright grey eyes and nodded shakily.

"Yeah, thanks."

"Try not to stand in front of falling objects like a frozen statue next time." He suggested but before she could say anything he ran off, leaving only a slight blue hue behind him. She stayed on her knees for a few minutes before rising up and finding her way back to the team.

* * *

It took some time to find her way to the Quinjet. The guy sure dropped her far enough that when she finally got back, the fight was over. Making her way inside she did not expect to find the team shaken up. She especially did not expect to find her father with a bloody wound in his side. Her eyes widened seeing bandages wrapped around his torso and IV in his arm.

"Dad!"

"Lyanna, where the hell did you go?" He hoarsed out and lifted his head to inspect her.

"Doesn't matter…what happened to you? Are you okay?" She asked worriedly as she sat down beside him and clenched her hand. Flashbacks of the time he was under Loki's control and missing hit her, but she blinked trying to ignore them. This was not the time.

"Just peachy," Clint tried to assure her but let out a small groan as he accidentally moved his side.

"Don't worry, Stark is going to patch me up when we get to the tower." He added seeing the worry in her eyes. Nodding lightly she glanced around and noticed Bruce on his own at the back of the Quinjet with pair of headphones trying to avoid the world.

"You okay though?" Clint's question brought her wandering gaze back at him and she smiled lightly.

"Yeah I'm fine dad just tired," She muttered and reached her hand to squeeze his.

Because she was fine. Everything was fine.

* * *

It wasn't long before they got back into the tower in New York. Doctor Cho with Maria Hill waited on the landing pad to transport Clint into med bay. Lyanna watched as her father was wheeled out of the jet with Natasha following right at his side. Lyanna however stayed behind in the Quinjet feeling numb. Guilt hit her, she should have followed them, she should be sitting in the waiting room waiting for the news but here she was staying behind, feeling close to nothing. She hasn't felt much in a while. Lyanna glanced down at her right hand, stretching it to see if it shook. It did not. Clenching her fingers into a fist she could see the white scars on her knuckles from hitting a mirror months ago, after the Loki incident. Nothing was the same since then.

"Lab's all set up, boss," Maria announced addressing Tony, who turned around in the pilot's chair to face them all.

"Actually, he's the boss. I just pay for everything and design everything and make everyone look cooler." Tony answered pointing at Captain who rose from his seat.

"What's the word on Strucker?" He asked going in a full captain mode.

"NATO's got him,"

"The two Enhanced?"

"Wanda and Pietro Maximoff. Twins. Orphaned at 10 when a shell collapsed their apartment building. Sokovia's had a rough history. It's nowhere special, but it's on the way

to everywhere special." Lyanna leaned over and glanced at the pad to see the video of the two enhanced. It was an older video, the guy's hair on the video was brown not like it was now though she said nothing, she wasn't sure if any of them saw him today. Wanda and Pietro Maximoff. Interesting. They started to walk.

"Their abilities?"

"He's got increased metabolism and improved thermal homeostasis. Her thing is neuroelectric interfacing, telekinesis, mental manipulation."

"He's fast, and she has a powerful brain," Lyanna cut in the conversation as they waited for an elevator.

"Well, they're gonna show up again," Steve muttered, shutting the pad off as the elevator opened up and he stepped inside with Lyanna.

"Agreed. File says they volunteered for Strucker's experiments. It's nuts," Maria Hill commented disapprovingly, already making her judgment on them.

"They did what they thought they had to survive," Lyanna shrugged, eyeing Maria as she pressed the button to the 16th floor where her room was located.

"It's not an excuse,"

"Right what kind of monster would let a German scientist experiment on them to protect their country?" Steve smirked as he too eyed Maria.

"We're not at war,"

"We are always at war," Lyanna responded just as the elevator closed, leaving her and Steve to stand in silence.

"It's none of my business but you seem quick to defend the enhanced" Steve asked after a moment, turning to her with a curious look. Lyanna shrugged lightly.

"What can I say Captain, they're different doesn't mean they're monsters." The elevator dinged and opened.

"No, it doesn't. Get some rest Lyanna,"

"Captain." Lyanna bid her goodbye and made her way to the room. She had a party to prepare for.

* * *

 **Hope you enjoyed the chapter.** Sorry for the grammatical errors my brain is fried **, I will edit it later on. As always, favourites and reviews are always super appreciated.**


	7. Chapter 6

Lyanna took a final glance in the mirror. Everyone would be at the party tonight, and she wanted to look as perfect as she could. So, she had her hair straightened and up into a high ponytail, her eyes were done with smoky grey eyeshadows and bold lips. Lyanna also wore a simple one shoulder, form-fitting dress that ended just above her knees and a pair of high heels to match. Her hand held the third glass of Cosmopolitan she had been sipping out of as she gathered all of her courage to leave her room and join everyone else. This wasn't one of the many parties she attended in her life, she was not used to the high-end class events that Tony threw. She was also the youngest among the group which didn't help with the thoughts of messing up and embarrassing herself or having to awkwardly stand around while the real adults talked. Taking another sip of her cocktail, Lyanna straightened her back, raised her chin up and went to leave her room.

Upbeat music and absolute chatter hit her ears when the elevator's doors opened on the upper floor. Lyanna stepped closer to the ledge to find someone she could chat with. Her eyes found Bruce attempting to walk by furniture and avoid the overhead lamps. He looked uncomfortable as it was, and she didn't think he needed her to chat him up. Natasha was chatting on a couch with Thor not far behind while being surrounded by a group of older men. Her eyes finally landed on her dad who was sitting down and having a conversation with Helen. She made her way down the stairs, passing Steve and Sam playing pool till she reached him.

"Heyo," Lyanna greeted them as she sat down beside Clint. Helen gave a polite smile and excused herself, leaving them alone.

"Hey kiddo, you look nice," He greeted her with a smile.

"Thanks, Dad," Lyanna's cheeks warmed up "How are you feeling?"

"Good as new, Helen sure knows how to fix someone else,"

"Good, wouldn't want mum to kill you," Lyanna chuckled, sipping on her drink. So far she couldn't feel any effect of her drinks.

"I'm sure she will soon enough, it left a scar," Clint laughed shifting on the couch.

"Oof, you are doomed,"

"How are you doing though? You have been a bit distant recently," He asked, his laugh dying as he looked at her closer. Her heartbeat sped up as she gulped and nodded her head.

"Yeah, no, I'm all good," Lyanna managed to say without stuttering.

"You sure? Cause you know you can talk to me if something is bothering you right? Or with mum," He asked as he wrapped an arm around her. Guilt hit her as her heart felt heavier. She knew he was worried, he was always worried, but she couldn't tell what happened. What she had done. She couldn't watch the disappointment and disgust on his face if she ever told him.

"I know dad, I'm good I promise," She managed a small smile as she leaned against him.

"Good, if you say so. I was thinking we could go home soon for a bit; Lila has been asking about you non-stop. Even Cooper asked when you are going to come home which is something, to say the least,"

"Yeah, that would be nice," She hadn't gone home in a while, almost a year. She couldn't. It was hard to go back and be surrounded by family when they had no clue what a disgrace she was. Clint seemed to be satisfied enough to let it go for now which she was grateful for. She hated lying to him.

"Great...let's go see what the team is up to,"

* * *

They all eventually moved to a more private upper floor to sit down around a table. Lyanna sat down on the couch with Maria Hill to her right and her dad and Bruce to her left.

"That looks fancy, can I have some?" Lyanna asked as Thor poured some liquor into his and Steve's tumblers.

"Are you certain? This has aged for a thousand years in the barrels built from the wreck of Grunhel's fleet, it's not meant for mortals," He glanced at her mid pour and Steve had to grab Thor's arm and twist it back up so that his drink wouldn't get him blackout drunk, if that was even possible.

"Good thing I'm no ordinary human Thor, gimmie," Thor still didn't look certain and glanced at Clinton to make sure it was okay who just shrugged.

"Dude don't look at me, I don't care. If she throws up tonight, you will be the one to hold her hair back,"

"I won't throw up, shut up Dad," Lyanna nudged him playfully as her cheeks flushed bright red. She grabbed one of the empty glasses from the table and handed it to Thor to pour the drink in.

"Sure you won't," Clint sniggered but none the less watched as she took a sip and he wasn't the only one. Everyone burst out laughing as her face scrunched up in disgust and a cough escaped her as the liquor burnt the hell out of her throat. She might as well have drunk fire.

"Well, what do you think?" Steve asked with a smile.

"Sweet. Totally not strong. I'm fine" Lyanna muttered through her hand on her face as trying to get over the taste.

"Surprised it didn't knock you straight out. Don't overdo it kiddo, talking from experience." Tony chuckled, finishing his beer.

"I won't," Lyanna smiled and inhaled quickly before taking another, smaller sip. "So how does the hammer really work Thor?" She asked, glancing at the Mjölnir on the table.

"It's simple, only the worthy can lift it,"

"Ah, whosever be he worthy shall haveth the power! Whatever, man! It's a trick," Clint exclaimed playing with a set of drumsticks in his hands making Thor chuckle.

"Please, be my guest," Thor sounded smug as he waved at the Mjölnir. Lyanna raised her eyebrow and looked at her dad, curious if he would actually try to lift it. Her question was answered as Clint stood up, accepting the challenge.

"Oh, this is going to be beautiful," Rhodey remarked at the same time as Lyanna let out "Whoo! Go Dad!"

"Clint you have had a tough week. We won't hold it against you if you can't get it up," Tony's remark got everyone to laugh.

"You know I've seen this before right?" Clint asked, still believing he was right. Lyanna grinned even wider as Clint gripped the hammer tightly and tried to lift it up, but it remained dead in its place.

"I still don't know how you do it!" Clint laughed a little out of breath.

"Smell the silent judgment?"

"Please Stark by all means," Clint called him out and went back to his seat but instead of sitting back down, he jumped on top of the couch and sat on the headrest. Lyanna leaned her head against his leg and he dropped his hand on her head to play with her hair.

"Never one to shrink from an honest challenge. It's physics," Tony rose from his seat, undoing his suit jacket in the progress.

"Physics!"

"Right, so, if I lift it, I...I then rule Asgard?" He clarified as he wrapped the band around his wrist.

"Yes, of course."

"I will be reinstituting Prima Nocta" Tony tried to lift it but it once again didn't budge out of place. "I'll be right back.

Lyanna almost couldn't believe what she was seeing so she pulled out her phone and discreetly started to film as the team tried to pull Mjölnir out of its place. Tony attempted to pull the hammer with his iron hand and once that failed, he got Rhodey to help him pull with his armoured arm. Then it was Bruce's turn who just ended up releasing a roar which made everyone raise an eyebrow at him. Finally, it was Steve's turn and everyone's attention peeked. If anyone one was worthy, Lyanna would bet on him to lift the hammer. Her jaw went slack when the hammer actually made a noise with the tiniest movement before it went back to stationary. Even Thor seemed surprised before Steve raised his hands in surrender.

"Only the ladies are left. What do you say little Viper? Want to see if you are worthy?" Tony asked, getting everyone's attention towards her.

"God no, I don't need to embarrass myself," Lyanna chuckled opening another bottle of beer.

"And Widow?"

"Oh, no no. That's not a question I need answered." Natasha also declined throwing her a smile. But Lyanna didn't return the smile. She didn't even see it as her eyes glanced towards the doors far off from everyone's chatter at the table. She could hear something approaching. It was silent but at the same time creaking as if metal was rubbing against metal. And it was coming closer.

"Something's crawling" Lyanna shouted jumping to her feet and a second later a high-pitched noise pierced through the air. Lyanna threw her hands over her ears trying to cancel out the noise as much as she could but it did little to help. Her eyes fell to the single, damaged robot that found its way to the lounge room and stood without anyone's orders. Her eyes widened as it spoke in a cold yet calm voice, one that she has never heard before.

"Worthy... No... How could you be worthy? You're all killers."

"Stark." Steve muttered, not pulling his eyes off the robot.

"What the fuck is that?" Lyanna couldn't stop the words from escaping, but no one answered her. Clint slowly walked closer to her and stretched his arm to reach for her hand and pulled her closer.

"Jarvis?" Tony asked.

"I'm sorry, I was asleep. Or... I was a-dream?" Ultron spoke again, looking around himself.

"Reboot, Legionnaire OS, we got a buggy suit." Tony spoke quietly into his stark phone, not wanting to draw attention to himself just yet. He was met with silence. Something was wrong. Very wrong.

"There was a terrible noise... and I was tangled in... in... strings. I had to kill the other guy. He was a good guy." Clint's hand tightened around Lyanna's and he stepped further in front to shield her.

"You killed someone?" Steve asked, his voice turning to steel.

"Wouldn't have been my first call. But, down in the real world, we're faced with ugly choices." Ultron kept sounding more confident and self-aware as the seconds passed making a shiver run down Lyanna's spine.

"Who sent you?"

"I see a suit of armour around the world" Tony's voice echoed from Ultron. She had heard Tony passing remarks here and there about protecting the world, but she wasn't aware of him doing anything much about it.

"Ultron," Bruce called out.

"In the flesh. Or, no, not yet. Not this...chrysalis. But I'm ready. I'm on a mission."

"What mission?"

"Peace in our time." Lyanna's hand was yanked harshly as iron legions broke through the walls. From a corner of her eye, she saw Steve get thrown with a table but her attention couldn't lay on him or others any longer. She and Clint had broken over into a sprint to get away from the destruction

"Down." Clint ordered just as they were spotted by an iron legion who set its gun on them but narrowly missed. Lyanna gasped as she slid under a table, her legs hitting the wall with a big enough force for her to feel it.

"We gotta help them," She breathed out as Clint looked around their surroundings. It seemed safe enough spot for the moment.

"Without weapons that ain't gonna do much. Stay here," Clint ordered her.

"But-"

"Lyanna stay here, you hear me?" He snapped before seeing an opening and running to get himself a weapon.

Lyanna followed her father's instructions. For a few moments. Then she spotted a handgun concealed under another table and dashed to grab it. With the safety unlocked, she jumped over one of the railings, creeping close to the ground as she half-ran closer to the scene until she saw Doctor Cho cornered by the top part of one of the rogue robots. Lyanna's eyes met hers and she put a finger to her mouth as she approached the robot as silently as she could. The moment Lyanna was close enough to them she raised the gun to its head and pressed the trigger twice, till it fell to the ground limply.

"Cap!" Clint's voice rings out from above as he threw the shield to him and Steve with his precision dismembered the last Iron Legion.

"That was dramatic! I'm sorry, I know you mean well. You just didn't think it through. You want to protect the world, but you don't want it to change. How is humanity saved if it's not allowed to...evolve?" Lyanna raised her gun again and did not hesitate to empty the remaining rounds into Ultron while it seemed to be preoccupied monologuing. The bullets however just ricocheted off of it and it only got its attention to her for a second.

"Brave little girl, playing in the adult world. No. You are not innocent. A beast in a sheep's skin." Ultron scanned through her and turned to the others.

"There's only one path to peace: The Avengers' extinction" Its words were enough to invoke Thor's anger for him to throw Mjölnir and break it into parts.

"I had strings, but now I'm free."

* * *

"I told you to stay put, Lee. What were you thinking?" Clint hissed at her after pulling her to the side once everyone made sure that Ultron would not rise again. His eyes trailed up and down her body, assessing if there was any damage.

"I was just trying to help," She tried to explain herself, but he cut her off.

"It could have gotten you killed; you follow what your teammates tell you to do. What I tell you. You understand?" He exclaimed angrily, and his hand on her shoulder firmly.

"Yes, sir."

"Are you okay though? Any injuries?" He asked, his voice softening just a touch, but she could tell he was still pissed.

"No, I'm fine. Anyone got any ideas where it went?"

"No, Thor went to follow it, but I am not sure how someone can follow something like that." Clint sighed as he shrugged his shoulders. That was when an idea hit her, and she was almost certain it could work.

"I need to talk to Tony, be right back," She said before leaving her father in the hall and headed to where she hoped she could find Tony.

She needed to go to Sokovia. She just needed a lift there and one of Tony's jets would do her just that. All she needed to do was to convince him that she wasn't crazy for borrowing the jet and attempting to convince those twins to join their side before Ultron.

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 **Finally here is chapter 6. I hope you guys are still enjoying the story. From here, the story will change a bit from how the movie was cause we all need more interaction between Lyanna and the twins. Which the next chapter will definitely have.**

 **As always, if ya like the story, leave a follow or a comment or a favourite and lemme know what ya think.**

 **thanks, guys xx**


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